A British automotive icon returns to the UK

Published by

Nicky Godding

Aylesbury-based MOKE International Limited has announced the return of one of Britain's great automotive icons.

UK customers will now be able to order one of 56 limited edition MOKEs, an allocation selected to signify the number of years since the Mini MOKE first appeared in Britain in 1964. Order books also open for MOKEs in standard configuration, confirming the permanent return of the brand.

Brigitte Bardot epitomised Riviera chic in her MOKE. The brand has since been enjoyed by fun-seekers including Kate Moss and DJ Khalid. The car has also appeared in four James Bond films.

The original MOKE was designed in the 1960s by Sir Alec Issigonis, the architect of the Austin Mini. It was first specified as a military vehicle engineered to be robust enough for deployment behind enemy lines by aeroplane. The original shared components including suspension and chassis with the Mini.

The MOKE soon became one of the best-loved symbols of the 1960s. Becoming the mode of travel for the inhabitants of the most exclusive coastal resorts in Europe, the Caribbean, US and Asia. To this day it remains the beachhouse-to-waterfront shuttle of choice.

MOKE will mark its homecoming with a strictly limited run of 56 cars, built for sale exclusively in the United Kingdom. Each is available in a choice of 14 colours and the Limited Edition ‘MOKE 56’ comes with the front grille and windscreen rails in chrome, a discrete union jack badge on the front wings, and a numbered plaque on the bonnet.

Waiting lists are filling fast with resorts and private buyers in English coastal hotspots taking particular interest.

The original MOKE trademark was acquired in 2015 and is now owned by MOKE International Limited. The initial focus has been on meeting demand in the Caribbean market where MOKE is popular with both private buyers and luxury resorts and hotels. Following UK regulatory approval, MOKEs are now available to purchase across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Additional models will be launched across Europe, the USA and beyond in 2021.

British designer Michael Young has completely redesigned and re-engineered the Moke for the 21st Century. While the new, much anticipated model remains faithful to its origins and classic look, it also integrates automotive technology for a new generation of drivers.

In reviving the brand, MOKE International has gathered a team from some of the most celebrated names in the industry. Isobel Dando, leads the board of management with an automotive career that spans two decades. This includes senior commercial and product leadership roles at Jaguar Land Rover and the BMW Group.

All MOKE bodies will be engineered and sub-assembled in the Midlands before being shipped to Cerizay, France for final assembly.

Mark Truman leads MOKE’s engineering and production functions having held senior technical roles at Aston Martin, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover.

He said: “My role at MOKE is to preserve the integrity and spirit of the original MOKE whilst incorporating the very best of today’s technologies that match the requirements of a new generation.”

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.